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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. track — a path
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bulb — for light
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. track — a song
  16. mine — for digging
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. deal — to handle
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. track — to keep track
  24. patient — a sick person

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com